Few Canadian cities can boast the successful growth and rapid development of an identity like Kelowna can. In a little more than two decades, it has gone from being a not-so noteworthy interior town to one that has everything most people look for in a place to live. It’s all the more common now that folks from the Lower Mainland of BC and others from all across Canada are seeing Kelowna as a viable alternative to the stresses of bigger-city life. Opportunities abound, the cost of living is much less daunting and there’s a genuine warmth to the people. It’s no surprise that more and more folks are looking at Kelowna real estate listings with an eye to moving to this vibrant city.

Your Kelowna home search should begin with the proven professionals at Royal LePage Kelowna. A Royal LePage Kelowna realtor understands the importance you are attaching to the potential purchase of a Kelowna home and responds by pairing their expert knowledge of the area’s housing market with your specific needs. You can expect him or her to be at your every beck and call and be proactive in establishing what Kelowna listings meet your criteria before arranging viewings that work with your schedule. While it’s not Vancouver, the number of Kelowna real estate listings is considerable and you want a realtor who is exactly in tune with what will work for you and what will not.

Having a realtor who’s attuned to your needs in this way is an essential component of your Kelowna home search. This is due to the fact that properties that perfectly match your criteria are very likely meeting those of other potential homebuyers as well. This is what makes for a “HOT” listing and being able to identify them quickly and give them precedence over others is a characteristic of an expert realtor. Such expertise comes standard with a Royal LePage Kelowna realtor and they’ll waste no time in preparing and presenting your offer on any Kelowna home, all the while maintaining the highest standards of professionalism throughout the process.

You will be hard pressed to find anyone who has relocated to Kelowna and isn’t thrilled with the life they have discovered there. There’s just enough hustle and bustle and an abundance of natural beauty with readily-accessible means of enjoying it. The fact that Kelowna real estate listings don’t come with the same hefty price tag you’d find in Vancouver really appeals to most folks as well, and yet you are still only 4 or so hours away from the Lower Mainland.

Start your Kelowna home search the right way at http://kelownahomefinders.ca

- J. Shorman

MLS® residential sales through the Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board area are forecast to remain relatively unchanged this year, albeit up by 0.6 per cent to 4,865 units. This follows a 15 per cent decline in unit sales in 2010. While local economic conditions are improving, as evidenced by a strong employment recovery, many recreation and investment buyers are bargain hunting in the United States. In addition, migration to the region has not yet fully recovered from its pre-recession level, pulling overall housing demand below the ten-year average of 6,700 units. Next year, improvement in consumer demand will be tempered by the impact of gradually rising mortgage interest rates on affordability and purchasing power. MLS® residential sales in 2012 are forecast to increase 5.9 per cent to 5,150 units. The average annual MLS® residential price is forecast to edge down 2.7 per cent to $384,000 this year, after increasing 3.9 per cent in 2009. While the inventory of active listings remains relatively high, the number of new listings to the market has pulled back sharply, suggesting that market conditions may soon trend toward balance. The average annual MLS® residential price is forecast to remain relatively unchanged in 2012, up by 0.3 per cent to $385,000. A substantial inventory accumulation in the Kelowna multiple market and an elevated inventory in the single detached market will hold back many prospective projects this year. Total housing starts in the Kelowna are expected to decline to just 800 units in 2011, with 350 new multiple starts and 450 single-detached starts. It is worth noting that the pace of construction would have to accelerate markedly from the levels observed in the first quarter of 2011 just to match the already depressed levels of 2010. However, household formation in Kelowna is projected to be very strong in coming years at 1,800 new households per year. Once current inventories are absorbed, we anticipate that construction will resume at a healthy pace.